Far From the Brave
by sersi
Summary: Reavers hit the Serenity. Things go bad...


Far from the Brave

by Sersi & Cylla

PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

He'd lost his ship.

Mal sat alone, staring at the darkened sky, imagining the Serenity being stripped for parts and left a gutted hulk to drift through the universe, a lonely testament to one man's life and love of space.

"Shoulda' let 'em kill me," he said, quietly.

Inara put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't say that."

Mal dropped his head into his hand and braced it against his knee. He was exhausted.

"She was all I had," he mumbled.

Inara felt a pang in her chest. There was nothing she could say to console him right now.

"That's not true."

It took a moment for her words to sink in. Then he turned to look at her. "What?"

Inara cast a look at the crew, scattered around the campfire. "Don't tell me they're just hired hands."

Mal put his head down and let out a deep sigh. His crew meant more to him than his own family and they'd outdone themselves tonight. He'd never been more proud. Despite the terror all were feeling, they'd put up a fight the Reavers weren't likely to forget for a long time. They stuck together and never left anyone behind. Most were still in shock.

Mal stood and limped closer to the fire. He examined the group while they stared expectantly at him.

"I . . . uh . . . just want to say that . . . well, I'm damn proud of every one of you," he finished quickly. He looked at the ground. "What happened . . . well, that ain't somethin' anyone should have to go through, ever, and . . . we all got out alive, and that's somethin'."

Zoe smiled at him from her position on the ground. She couldn't move too well, but she knew how he felt about his ship. She felt the same way. It was their home. But, keeping up spirits was what was needed now. She glanced around the assembled crew. No one escaped without injuries of one severity or another. She, Jayne and Mal took the brunt of the battle, with Book and Wash coming in a close second.

"I figure we can make it to town in a couple of days on foot if we can't get Inara's shuttle flyin'. We don't got much supplies but we'll just have to make due." A wave of light-headedness washed over him and he swayed.

Inara grabbed his arm and helped him to the ground. After a minute, he opened his eyes and found Zoe and Wash staring at him in concern.

"I'm okay."

"Sure," Wash said.

"Just gotta' rest a minute." He looked around. "Should post a guard. . . ."

"I'll watch," Inara said.

Mal stared at her for a few seconds before common sense won out over his sense of male duty. She was the least injured and had more than enough competence to get the job done. He nodded slightly.

Inara took the shotgun and moved to the nearest rock and sat. Watching for Reavers wasn't really necessary. The sound of their ship approaching would alert everyone. They were, however, in the uncharted backwaters of a planet they'd never been to before and anything could be watching them from the dark forest which surrounded them.

Book sat across the camp, praying quietly to himself. No one had disturbed him in the last hour, except Simon who tended to his injuries. He'd taken a bullet to the arm and several knife wounds around his body. None were life-threatening, but none were pleasant to deal with either.

"Shepherd?" Inara asked.

He glanced up and noted the concern on her face. He smiled gently at her. "I'm fine. I'll help you keep watch, if you don't mind." He produced his handgun and turned where he could watch the other side of the camp. "Don't think I can sleep just now anyway."

Inara nodded and turned around.

Simon approached Mal and leaned over him with a syringe.

Mal pushed his arm away.

"You need something for the pain," Simon said, reasonably. Sounding professional was taking every bit of his reserves as the last few hours of terror had been enough to push anyone over the edge of sanity. He had an advantage over the rest, however. He had a job to do, taking care of the wounded, and concentrating on that kept the memory of recent events at bay. He'd only received a few scratches and a knock on the head, a result of Mal and the others doing everything they could to protect him, knowing they would need him later. It was a sound decision, but one that left Simon feeling ineffectual throughout most of the battle.

Mal shook his head. "Don't got much left. Save it for them that need it."

Simon realized he wasn't going to win the argument, so he surrendered graciously and turned to Zoe.

"I'm okay, Doc," she said, quietly.

"No she isn't," Mal and Wash said at the same time.

Wash was seated with Zoe lying beside him, her head in his lap and her hand in his. She squeezed it periodically as a spasm of pain hit her.

She didn't bother protesting further. She didn't have the energy to fight her husband and her captain. Simon injected the painkiller into her arm. A moment later, her body noticeably relaxed and she started breathing easier.

Wash stroked her hair.

"You okay?" Simon asked him.

"What?"

"I asked if you were okay?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Fine."

"Let me see."

"I said I was all right."

Zoe squeezed his hand. "Husband-mine, don't make me kick your ass. . . . ."

Simon smiled slightly and leaned in to get a better look at Wash, who decided not to protest. He had a head wound that continued to bleed occasionally, and several cuts and gouges across his chest and arms. A close encounter with a Reaver had left him the painful reminders as well as an image he wasn't likely to forget in his lifetime.

"Lie back," Simon instructed.

Wash did so, keeping Zoe comfortably on his lap and her hand in his.

"These have stopped bleeding, but I don't want you moving unnecessarily."

Wash nodded.

"Take these." Simon handed him two pills.

Wash took them.

"It'll help with the pain, but it shouldn't make you overly drowsy."

Wash nodded.

"How's Jayne?" Zoe mumbled.

"He's okay," Simon answered.

Zoe opened her eyes. "That was a little too quick, Doc."

Simon looked at the ground. "He's lost a lot of blood and I don't have any way to replace it."

Mal said, "You got plenty of donors here, Doc."

"No doctor in his right mind would take blood from injured people."

"I'm his blood type," Zoe said, disregarding his previous statement.

Simon shook his head. "I'm sorry. You've lost more than your fair share tonight, Zoe."

The expression on Wash's face made it clear that he wouldn't have allowed her to anyway.

"I'm his type," a quiet voice said.

Simon turned to look.

Kaylee was huddled next to the fire. She'd worn the same shocked look for the last hour and Mal had begun to worry that it might be permanent.

"Kaylee?" Mal asked, cautiously.

She turned wide eyes on him. "I'm his blood type," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Mal said, quietly. "You feelin' all right?"

She nodded. She'd received injuries similar to Wash's, but had been protected from most of the fighting by Book and Mal. Still, the horror of the night was not something that meant to let go of her anytime soon.

Simon approached her slowly and knelt beside her. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

She nodded and he helped her to her feet. Together, they made their way to where Jayne was stretched out on the ground.

River sat next to him, in much the same position as Zoe and Wash. Jayne's head was in her lap and his hand in hers. She periodically stroked his hair and mumbled nonsense.

Any other time Simon might have protested her closeness to the mercenary, but this was no ordinary night and Jayne had certainly done more than anyone expected of him. The last few moments in the cargo hold were not anything that Simon would ever forget. . . .

_Once they entered the bay, panicked confusion ensued. The gunfire was deafening, threatening to shatter the eardrums or sanity of anyone left at that point with either hearing or their wits._

_Mal and Jayne stood in the middle of the bay with Simon and River behind them, shooting at Reavers as they barreled into the cargo hold with no regard for safety or common sense._

_The only bit of fortune they'd had during the assault was that the Reavers had run out of ammunition before them. Jayne had stashed ammo all over the ship. Apparently, a Reaver assault was something he had nightmares about and he wanted to be prepared. It had saved them more than once that night._

_Reaver bodies were piling at their feet as Jayne and Mal continued to shoot, but eventually, the inevitable happened._

_"I'm out!" Jayne yelled. He dropped both guns and drew his knife. He had only a moment to glance at Mal before the first Reaver fell on him._

_Beside him, Mal emptied his gun into the nearest Reaver, then dropped it. He glanced around._

_Simon and River were backed up where they couldn't get to the stairs. They were trying to climb them from the outside. Simon was above, reaching to haul River up beside him._

_Mal whirled around in time to be tackled by a Reaver. They fought for a few seconds, then he snapped it's neck. Mal pushed the Reaver away and took a second to examine their situation._

_It was bad and getting worse._

_He then made a decision he hoped Jayne would understand. He turned and ran up the stairs to the shuttle._

_Halfway up he heard River scream. He whipped his head around to look._

_She'd fallen into the middle of the group of Reavers, who engulfed her instantly._

_Mal ground his teeth together and glanced at Simon._

_A look of horror was etched across his face. He moved to jump into the melee, but Mal grabbed his arm. They struggled for a few seconds before Mal hauled him up and over the railing._

_"Let go! I have to help her!"_

_He pushed Mal aside and managed to reach the railing._

_A brutal round of hand-to-hand combat was playing itself out below. Mal stared in disbelief at Jayne. He'd been close to the stairs when Mal had made his break and now he was struggling to reach the center of the group._

_Simon gaped at the spectacle as his mind was unable to cope with the idea that was clearly being presented to him. Jayne was hacking his way through Reavers to get to his sister._

_"Stay here!" Mal said, and turned and rushed into the shuttle._

_Simon shook his head and dashed down the stairs. He had to do something._

_In the middle of the group, Jayne finally hit the floor, weighed down by Reavers on his back and River in his arms. He fell forward and collapsed._

_Mal emerged from the shuttle, carrying a shotgun, to see a sight he never hoped to see again. Reavers had encircled Jayne and River, both were screaming, as Reavers kicked, slashed stabbed and generally beat the hell out of them._

_Simon had reached the bottom of the stairs and was preparing to launch himself into the middle of the melee when Mal fired into the group._

_He hit a Reaver, flinging him onto his neighbor._

_Mal fired again._

_Eventually, they realized they were threatened from above and a few of the Reavers left off beating Jayne to make a run for the stairs._

_Mal shot both, then whipped his shotgun around and continued firing._

_Simon stood his ground. He had just enough sense left to realize he should stay out of the line of fire. He gripped the railing in agony, awaiting his chance to go._

_Mal stopped for a few seconds to reload. The Reavers gave up on Jayne and River altogether and sprinted for the stairs._

_Simon backed up, then turned and ran. He joined Mal within seconds, and was pushed back toward the airlock._

_Mal raised his shotgun again and fired at the approaching group. There weren't many left. He hit the one in the lead and the others tripped over him. Mal fired again just as they reached his position._

_Two left._

_The nearest Reaver lunged at him and Mal fired directly into his chest. They went down and Mal pushed the creature off of him. He was too late, as the other one saw his opportunity. He dived on Mal, knife raised._

_Mal struggled to bring his shotgun around, but couldn't manage it in the close contact fight. The Reaver stabbed repeatedly with his knife and Mal blocked each thrust as best he could. They rolled across the catwalk, neither gaining the advantage, until Mal dropped his gun and strained to retrieve it. The Reaver took the opportunity to plunge his knife into Mal's shoulder._

_He hadn't expected that. Even though he was in a knife fight, he still hadn't expected it. He gasped in shock and grabbed the knife hand of the Reaver, which still gripped the hilt. The Reaver grasped at Mal's hand and within seconds they were locked in a silent struggle, each trapping the other's hands against the knife in Mal's body. _

_He was blacking out. He didn't have much time. Mal jabbed the Reaver in the side with his knee, and rolled them until he was on top. He punched him several times in the face and the Reaver let go the knife. _

_Mal glanced around for his shotgun, didn't see it, and turned back to the Reaver, who was trying to push himself up._

_In desperation, Mal grabbed him by his ragged, bloody clothes and dragged him to the edge of the catwalk. Despite the struggling, he succeeded in throwing him over the side._

_Mal collapsed against the railing and stared down at the cargo bay. It was littered with the corpses of nearly a dozen Reavers. Jayne and River were huddled on the floor, with Jayne on top, nearly covering her petite form. He looked dead._

_Mal turned his head slightly as he heard Simon. He was taking the stairs three at a time._

_Something wet was dripping onto his hand and Mal glanced down. Blood from his shoulder was running off the knife hilt in a steady string of red, painting a gruesome pattern across the back of his hand._

_Simon hit the floor of the cargo bay and leapt over Reaver bodies to get to his sister. He reached Jayne and River and knelt beside them. He reached a hand under Jayne and eased two fingers up against River's neck. Still alive. He checked Jayne next. Nothing._

_He gently pushed Jayne aside._

_"River?"_

_She was covered in blood, but upon closer inspection, Simon realized it was all from Jayne._

_He thrust a hand against Jayne's neck, probing deeper for a pulse he felt sure he wouldn't find._

_He heard Mal behind him and turned._

_"I think . . . I think Jayne may be . . . River's alive."_

_Mal dropped to his knees beside them as Simon scooped his sister into his arms._

_Mal leaned over Jayne and pulled his arm up to his shoulder._

_Simon cocked his head. He could hear more Reavers and it sounded like they were coming their way._

_"We have to go."_

_"I ain't leavin' no one behind. . . ." Mal mumbled. He struggled to get Jayne up._

_Simon watched him for a few seconds, all the while the sound of howling and pounding getting closer._

_He abruptly set River on the floor and reached to help Mal. Together, they managed to get Jayne onto Mal's shoulders and Mal on his feet. Simon picked River up and headed toward the stairs._

Mal paced around their camp. He wasn't in shape for it, but his shoulder was aching fiercely and he couldn't sleep. He kept turning their situation over in his mind.

They had two damaged shuttles, one that wasn't likely to be repaired any time soon, if ever. To make matters worse, his mechanic was still in shock and now giving blood, neither of which was apt to make her all that resourceful at repairs.

He walked past Book, who glanced up at him.

"God never puts on us more than we can bear, Captain."

"That ain't much of a comfort just now, shepherd."

Book nodded and returned his attention to the dark surrounding them.

"You think they'll come after us?" Inara asked.

"Got no reason to," Mal answered, turning to face her. "Serenity's packed full of cargo. They probably got more than they counted on with her."

"Still, they're savages. They may. . . ."

He gave her a firm look, "They ain't comin' after us. You hear me?"

She nodded slowly.

Mal turned to Wash, who was quietly watching him.

"You feel up to taking a look at Inara's shuttle?"

Wash nodded. "Sure." He struggled to his feet, swayed a bit, then moved slowly toward the shuttle. Mal followed.

Once inside, they stopped at the scene before them.

Jayne was laid out on Inara's bed, on his side, with his back exposed to them. He was covered in bruises, welts and stab wounds. Several had already been sewn up and Simon was working on another. There was blood everywhere.

Kaylee and River sat on either side of Jayne. Kaylee had a tube in her arm, giving him what blood she could, while River stroked the back of Jayne's head and watched her brother work.

"Doc?" Mal asked.

"I don't know," he replied, not looking at them.

Mal nodded, accepting. "You need anything?"

"No."

Mal nodded and he and Wash made their way to the back of the shuttle. Wash took only five minutes to examine the engine and conclude that it wasn't going to fly in its current condition.

"How's it look?" Mal asked.

"Bad." Wash stood. "From what I can tell, there are things here that need to be replaced. I don't think we have the parts, but maybe we can scrounge them from the other shuttle." He looked at Mal. "Because, you know, the other shuttle's not going anywhere."

"I know."

"We need Kaylee. She might be able to wire things together and, well, do mechanic stuff that I have no clue about."

"I'll get her on it in the morning."

"I'm pretty sure about some of the parts, though. I think I should head back to our shuttle, get what we need while we can."

Mal considered. It was night and all manner of predators could be lurking about and the other shuttle was about four miles from camp. The first trek a few hours ago had been a gruesome test of endurance for all as Jayne had to be carried the entire way and no one was really in any shape for it. Once they reached the others, one worry was lifted from Mal's mind as he saw that they were all still alive. His memory was a bit blurry after that.

Mal blinked and glanced at Wash. "We'll both go. We can work quicker."

Once outside, Mal informed the others of their plan, then collected what weapons they had.

Wash bent over Zoe and took her hand.

"We'll be back before morning."

She squeezed his hand. "Be careful."

"Hey, I can't let some wild beast kill me. Not after surviving a Reaver attack. It'd be too embarrassing."

Zoe smiled. "Just don't make me come looking for you. You know how cranky I get when I've been shot."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I know. We'll be back soon."

Mal waited patiently for Wash. He stared blankly into the night.

"It wasn't your fault, Mal."

He looked around.

Inara was watching him.

"Ain't how it feels right now."

"I know. But, there's nothing any of us could've done differently."

Mal closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "God help me if I ever answer another distress signal. . . ."

_Wash spun his chair around as Mal entered the bridge._

_"Got a distress signal."_

_"Which way?"_

_Wash gestured at the window. "That-a-way."_

_"Well, don't get too technical on me, I might get confused."_

_Wash smirked and motioned for him to take a look at the scanner. "They're not too far. Here." He pointed to a flashing point on the screen._

_"Ain't too much comes out this way," Mal said, stepping back and folding his arms across his chest._

_Jayne and Zoe stepped onto the bridge._

_"What's goin' on?"_

_"Distress signal."_

_"Probably a trap."_

_"Jayne, you think everything's a trap."_

_He shrugged and moved to sit down. "At least I ain't never surprised."_

_Zoe stepped up next to Mal._

_"What do you think?" he asked._

_"Long way out, sir."_

_"Any communication?"_

_"Nope," Wash replied._

_Jayne snorted. "Wouldn't be."_

_"There any scheduled traffic this far out?"_

_"Let me check."_

_After a minute, Wash said, "Actually, yes. One transport and one long range colony ship."_

_Mal frowned. "Where are they goin'? Ain't nothin' out here."_

_Wash checked further. "Oh, looks like we've colonized another planet. Out quite a ways. Named Prospero." He sat back. "How quaint."_

_"Yeah, real quaint how the Alliance figures on getting all these new settlers butchered."_

_Mal paced the bridge for several minutes before he made his decision. "Okay. We'll go see what's what. First sign of trouble and we're hightailin' it outta' here."_

_"You're becoming a real humanitarian, you know that?" Wash said. "It gives me a little warm feeling in my chest at the thought of being heroes to a bunch of colonists."_

_"Keep tryin' to contact them."_

_Mal left the bridge with Zoe following._

_Behind them, they could hear Wash say, "Maybe they'll write a song about us - oh, wait. You already have a song. How does that go again. . . ?"_

_"How's our security lookin' around here?" Mal asked._

_"Good, sir. Jayne and I put explosives at all the airlocks last week. Just checked 'em again this morning."_

_Mal nodded. "You think I'm being over cautious, Zoe?"_

_"Ain't no such thing when it comes to Reavers, sir. . . ."_

Mal and Wash made good time, reaching the shuttle in just under an hour, despite the dark and overall lack of energy of both of them. They picked it apart as fast as they could. Mal couldn't help but envision Reavers doing the same thing to his ship.

They spent an hour in the shuttle and eventually packed up everything they'd acquired and headed back.

Simon made his rounds again. He'd been doing it all night and he couldn't help but recall his days at the hospital. Since joining the Serenity crew, he'd had plenty to do, but never on such a large scale. The entire crew was injured, something he had never planned on. It hadn't fazed him, however, as his training took over and he cataloged the injuries and managed the crisis in an orderly and systematic manner.

He knelt beside Zoe again. She was sleeping and he tried not to wake her as he checked her wounds. She'd been shot three times, once through the side, once in the leg, and another in the chest. That last was closer to her shoulder than her heart, but he still didn't like it. He couldn't operate on her here. He didn't have the equipment. So far, he'd managed to keep her stable and stop the bleeding, but the bullets would have to come out. Hopefully when they reached town they'd have decent medical facilities and a competent doctor to assist him.

He quickly checked Book and Inara, both of whom were more tired than pained, and he brought them coffee to keep them awake.

"How's your side?" Simon asked.

Inara gave him a brief smile. "It's okay. Aches a little."

He knelt and felt her ribs. "I think they may be broken. Did this happen when your shuttle hit?"

She nodded.

"I should bandage them for you."

"I can wait until Mal and Wash get back."

Simon nodded.

"How's Jayne?"

"Better. Still unconscious."

"Kaylee and River?"

"They're sleeping."

Inara stared at him.

Eventually, he said, "I think Kaylee may be better when she wakes. The shock is wearing off. River . . . well . . . I'm afraid she's retreated into her own world. I can't seem to reach her at all." Simon grimaced. "And what's worse, I think she has a crush on Jayne."

Any other time that would have been amusing and provided hours of teasing, but Inara had nothing to offer, so she merely nodded in understanding. Simon left and she returned her attention to the dark. With nothing much to look at, her mind once again drifted to the day's events. . . .

_"You've got to dock that thing now!"_

_Inara's hands skimmed over the controls of her shuttle. Something was terribly wrong. Wash sounded panicked._

_Mal's voice came next. "Inara, forget safety procedures. Dock it now!"_

_She leapt into action. She'd never heard Mal so agitated. A lump formed in her throat. She turned off the auto navigator, which would have cycled through at least a minute of safety checks, and took the controls herself._

_The Serenity was looming in her window and something ahead was just entering their view. That had to be something bad, something Mal didn't want to sit around and wait for. Even Alliance wouldn't make them sound so apprehensive. With a start, she realized what it must be._

_Reavers._

_Wash said, "I gotta' get the ship in motion."_

_"Go. I'll catch up," she answered_

_Mal again. "Inara, can you dock while we're moving?"_

_"Yes." _

_She hoped she could. Inara gripped the controls and increased her speed to catch the Serenity._

_Wash left the communications open and she could hear the chaos on the bridge._

_"We gotta' get outta' here now!" Jayne said._

_"Can we stop, see if they pass us by?" Zoe asked._

_"No," Wash replied. "They're after us. They changed course to intercept us."_

_"Get this thing moving," Mal said. "Inara?"_

_"I'm coming."_

_Serenity was moving. She veered her shuttle to match their path and lined up on the dock. In the distance, she could see the Reaver ship getting bigger. Her heart thumped against her chest._

_On the bridge, the yelling continued while Mal tried to calm everyone and give orders._

_The Serenity swerved to port, trying to get into position to run. Inara made a sharp turn and dived for the dock. She cut her engines and braked just as she slammed into the bay._

_The crash shook the entire ship and threw her into the console. After only a few seconds, she leaned up and shook her head. Someone was yelling at her._

_". . .lock it down!"_

_"Inara!"_

_"The clamps! Lock it down now!"_

_She moved to obey, hitting the switches to lock her shuttle into the bay. A second later she felt the entire ship veer sharply to port. The engines engaged and the abrupt acceleration pinned her in her seat._

_She sat alone in her shuttle, riding the panicked run of the Serenity, hoping Wash could outrun a ship that was larger and faster than theirs._

_"Inara?"_

_Mal again._

_"Yes?"_

_"Stay where you are."_

_"All right."_

_"I don't want you going anywhere. If they miss us, they might go after you instead. If they board us, I want you ready to take off at a moment's notice."_

_"I understand."_

_"I'm sending Kaylee and River to you."_

_"Okay."_

_She waited while the ship continued to pick up speed. It didn't last long._

_"They're shooting at us!"_

_"Keep going."_

_"If they hit the engine -."_

_"Can't worry about it now."_

_There was a moment of silence, while Mal apparently considered their options. Then, "Zoe, you, Jayne and Book come with me."_

_"What are we gonna' do?" Jayne asked._

_"Get every weapon you have. We ain't giving in without a fight."_

_"You think the rest of 'em didn't put up a fight?"_

_"They're gonna' remember this one."_

_Those were the last words she heard from Mal and for the next three hours she worried that maybe they were the last she'd ever hear from him._

_They ran for another ten minutes before they were hit so bad they couldn't keep going. When she felt the ship come to a stop she leapt up and searched her shuttle. She had a shotgun and a pistol, given her by Mal after she'd related a couple of bad experiences with a few of her clients. She was glad now for his male overprotectiveness._

_As ready as she could be, she clutched the shotgun to her chest and paced the interior of her ship._

_Another minute and she heard the unmistakable clunking sound of another ship docking with theirs. That sent her heart into her throat and she hit the communications switch._

_"Wash?"_

_Her breathing quickened and she thought she might faint._

_"Anyone?"_

_There was no answer. Presumably, Kaylee and River were making their way to her and the rest were positioning themselves to defend the ship._

_She heard a distant, muffled explosion._

_She couldn't decide if that was good or bad, and she went back to her pacing._

_Another ten minutes passed in silence, then the shooting started. She'd never heard so much continuous gunfire. It reverberated through the ship, making it sound worse than it probably was. At least, that's what she told herself._

_She agonized over leaving her shuttle to try to help out, but reconsidered. Mal wanted her where she was. She needed to be responsible and do what she was told._

_Forty minutes of gunfire, explosions, and brief, intermittent silence, followed. Then, Kaylee and Book showed up._

_Inara was in such an agitated state that she almost shot them._

_"Don't shoot!" Book yelled._

_"Get inside!" she screamed._

_They did and she slammed the door closed behind them._

_"What about the others?"_

_Book shook his head. "We got separated. Captain told us to get to the shuttles. We're abandoning the ship."_

_Inara looked at Kaylee. She was injured, but not badly, and dazed._

_"Kaylee?"_

_She didn't respond._

_"She'll be all right," Book said, hastily. "Wash and Zoe are behind us."_

_Inara nodded. "The others?"_

_"Like I said, we got separated. But, everyone's making their way here." He eased into a chair. His arm was bleeding freely and he put a hand to it._

_Inara knelt to look at it._

_He shook his head. "Not now. Get the shuttle started."_

_Inara jumped up and moved to the pilot's chair. She had the engine turning in seconds._

_"I've never seen anything like it before," Book said. "They really aren't human anymore."_

_Inara swiveled her chair to look at him._

_He was staring at the door, a numb look on his face, holding a handgun in his right hand, clearly expecting something unpleasant to come bursting through._

_They heard more shooting and it was coming from inside the bay._

_Book and Inara leapt up and reached the door at the same time. They didn't hesitate, but hurled it open and stepped through the airlock._

_If one of the crew were out there needing help, they were going to give it._

_They opened the door into the ship and stepped out._

_Inara had never seen a Reaver before and they weren't at all what she expected. They looked and dressed like savages. Their clothes were torn, their bodies pierced and tattooed, and the fire of sanity was decidedly missing from their eyes._

_Below, Wash and Zoe were struggling toward the stairs. Wash was carrying Zoe and trying to shoot. The Reavers didn't appear to be shooting back and Inara speculated that they must've run out of ammunition._

_Book rushed to the railing and started shooting._

_Inara stepped up beside him and fired into the group._

_Below, Wash left off shooting and turned and ran up the stairs._

_Once he reached them, Book took Inara's shotgun and began shooting Reavers as they came up the stairs._

_Inara dashed inside and worked the controls._

_Book fired a few more times, then turned and ran inside the shuttle, closing the door behind him._

_As they took off, he could see Reavers at the end of the airlock, trying to open the door._

_Inara pushed aside everything she'd just seen and concentrated on flying._

_"Are they following?" Book asked._

_Inara checked her scanner. "No. They're still attached to the ship."_

_Book nodded and sat beside her._

_The ship rocked abruptly to starboard._

_"What was that?"_

_"They're shooting at us!"_

Kaylee and Wash spent the next three hours working on Inara's shuttle, while the remainder of the crew paced and worried about their situation.

Once finished, Kaylee gave Mal a less than uplifting report.

"It's not too good, Capn', and I ain't sure how far she'll fly, but I got the engine turnin' now."

Mal nodded. "You think we can reach town?"

"I think so. Long as we don't gotta' do much more 'an fly straight. Anything fancy and we'll probably start losing parts."

"Okay. You done good, Kaylee."

She nodded.

"You okay?"

She gave him a blank expression. The habitual sparkle in her eyes was absent and Mal wondered if she'd ever get it back. He took her face in his hands.

"I don't want you thinkin' 'bout what happened back there, you hear me?"

She nodded.

"I mean it now. It's over and done with. We gotta' concentrate on surviving now. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Capn'."

"Good. Now, let's get everyone into the shuttle."

Thirty minutes later the Serenity crew were well into their journey. The new colony of Prosperity was still a few hours away.

Most of the crew slept, including Mal, while Inara flew.

Simon spent most of his time next to Zoe and Jayne, both of whom were stretched out on Inara's bed. They'd lost some of the progress they'd made during the night and now both looked pale and sickly.

Wash slept next to Zoe, just managing to fit on the edge of the bed. His anxiety about his wife woke him every twenty minutes and Simon had to reassure him that she was the same.

River sat on the floor next to Jayne, one hand on his arm, and a distant look in her eye.

Simon knelt in front of her.

"River?"

She stared through him.

He put a hand to her chin.

"Mei-mei, please look at me."

She blinked a few times, then looked him in the eye.

Simon let out a relieved breath. "How do you feel?"

She frowned and shook her head. "Too many of them."

"They're not here now, River," he said. "They can't get you now."

Her hand tightened on Jayne's upper arm. Simon reached for her hand and tried to pry it away.

She jerked back and held on even harder.

"Okay," he said, hastily. "I'm sorry."

They sat in silence for another minute before Simon decided to try again. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. At least she was responding.

"Thirsty?"

She shook her head again. He decided not to press it.

"He's going to be okay," he said. He actually wasn't sure about Jayne's prospects, but if it would make his sister feel better right now, he'd tell her whatever he thought she needed to hear.

"His heart is hurt."

"No, his heart is fine, River."

"No, it hurts all the time and he doesn't like it." She turned to look at him. "Makes him feel weak."

"River, I don't know what you're saying."

"Makes him grumpy."

"Well, I think that's one of Jayne's habitual attitudes," he remarked, smiling slightly.

"He doesn't like to look at me. . . ."

"River. . . ."

"Or you," she said.

Simon frowned, not sure how to respond. "River, I don't understand."

"He lost something and he can't ever get it back."

Simon sighed. "What has he lost, River?"

"The cold."

Simon frowned. "The cold?"

"He liked the cold. It was comfortable and now it's gone and his heart hurts."

Simon sat back. He had no clue what she was going on about. He glanced at Jayne. Trying to figure him out was something he'd never had any desire for, but his sister apparently had a little insight into his character and that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't anything to be dealt with at the moment, so he brushed it aside.

"Why don't you try to sleep again?" he suggested. "You can stay beside him. I won't try to move you."

She watched him for a minute, then gently laid her head on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes.

Simon let out a breath and turned to find Mal staring at him.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Was."

"How's your shoulder?"

"Hurts."

"Let me see."

"Nothin' much to do 'bout it right now. May as well let it alone."

Simon nodded. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He was exhausted.

"You should get some sleep."

"I can't." Simon gestured at Jayne and Zoe. "They may need. . . ."

"There's not much you can do for 'em now and we can wake you up if something happens."

Simon looked at the occupants of the bed, unsure about leaving them unattended.

"We need you fit when we reach town, doc. You got a lot of doctorin' to do and now's the only time you can rest, so you better take it."

Simon relented, knowing he was right. He crossed to where Mal was seated on the floor and sat next to him. He leaned his head against the wall and was asleep in less than a minute.

Satisfied, Mal surveyed the rest of his crew.

Even in sleep they looked somewhat relieved. Probably the fact that they were now heading toward civilization had a lot to do with it.

Mal sighed and closed his eyes. Every waking moment his mind drifted back to the fight for Serenity, ironically, the second time he'd lost such a battle. Anger was creeping in where only despair had resided before - anger that the ship he'd named after the most important battle in his life had just been taken from him, and anger that he hadn't done more to save her. . . .

_Mal, Zoe, Jayne and Book barreled down the steps from the bridge. Their worst nightmare was about to become sickening reality and the length of time they could defend the ship was critical to their survival._

_They each made a stop at their bunks and retrieved what weapons they had._

_Mal, Zoe and Book stood impatiently in the corridor, waiting for Jayne. The rocking of the ship had stopped, which meant the Reavers weren't interested in shooting at them anymore and were likely moving in to dock._

_"Jayne!" Mal yelled through the open hatch._

_Jayne appeared a few seconds later, weighed down with nearly ever weapon he had. He handed the excess to Mal and Zoe, then climbed out._

_"They're all loaded," he said, unnecessarily. "Here." He handed Zoe and Mal each a small handgun. They were identical._

_"Those are the most expensive guns I got," he explained. "Top of the line. You got 20 shots and they'll shoot through anything." He reconsidered. "Well, 'cept the hull."_

_Mal and Zoe looked impressed, and a little surprised that Jayne would hand over his best guns to them._

_"You sure you don't want this?" Mal asked._

_"Nope." He hefted Vera and slammed a cartridge home. "I ain't gonna' need anything else."_

_Mal turned and made his way down the corridor, hoping Jayne was right._

_The explosion at the cargo airlock startled them and shook the entire ship. No one would be docking there anytime in the near future._

_"We got a few minutes while they maneuver around to one of the forward airlocks," Mal said. "They're gonna' be expectin' another explosive, so they'll probably disable it."_

_Mal turned and yelled down the corridor. "Wash! Where they goin'?"_

_"Looks like they're trying for the starboard hatch."_

_"Let's go," Mal said, and stalked off down the corridor._

_At the airlock, Mal and Zoe were the first line of defense. Behind them, Jayne and Book were positioned._

_They didn't have long to wait._

_The airlock door was blown off its hinges and Reavers poured through the opening, shooting wildly._

_Mal and Zoe began firing and didn't stop for the next five minutes. Eventually, Zoe had to drop her shotgun. She drew the pistol Jayne had given her and fired nonstop at the airlock, backing toward Jayne and Book as she did._

_Reaver bodies were piling up in the corridor and the smoke was making it impossible to see. That didn't stop anyone from shooting._

_Zoe reached Book and he took over her side of the corridor, shooting blindly through the smoke. He didn't like not seeing what he was firing at, but he did know that Mal was on his right and meant to stay there._

_Jayne had his back to the wall, Vera held to his chest, and awaiting his turn. This was his worst nightmare come to pass. Of course, things were considerably better than in his dream. In his dream, they always surprised them, killed everyone but him, then slowly flayed him open with a blunt knife._

_Jayne shook off the image. It wasn't going to happen like that because he intended to die before any of them got that close to him._

_Mal dropped his rifle and went to his backup. He was firing and retreating up the corridor toward Jayne._

_A second later, Mal breezed past him and Jayne coolly stepped out, lined up his rifle, and squeezed off several shots. He had no trouble seeing through the smoke. He had the best scope money could buy attached to the best rifle in the 'verse. He wasn't likely to miss._

_Up until that point, Reavers had been barreling through the airlock and into the corridor almost totally unchecked. Now, they were brought up midway along the hall and could make no progress._

_Book backed up and positioned himself behind and across from Jayne, taking the opportunity to reload all his weapons._

_Mal and Zoe reloaded as well and took a few seconds to examine the situation._

_They didn't have time to evaluate how things were going as another explosion sounded from the other side of the ship._

_Mal and Zoe glanced at each other._

_"Port airlock?"_

"_Their ship is still attached," Zoe said. "They must be walking across the hull."_

_"Don't sound like one of our explosives, though."_

_Zoe nodded. "They must've blown the door."_

_Mal edged up next to Jayne, who was still firing, and spoke into his ear._

_"They're at the other airlock. I'm takin' Zoe. Keep 'em here as long as you can, then head for the cargo bay."_

_Jayne nodded and continued firing._

_Mal and Zoe left and Book positioned himself to take over when Jayne ran out of ammunition. His eyes strayed to the bodies on the floor. No, they certainly weren't men any longer. That made it easier to shoot indiscriminately, as long as he didn't look at their faces. . . ._

The town of Prosperity, once aptly named, but now only a shadow of its former self, greeted them with an eerie silence that none but the intrepid dared violate.

Mal and Inara stood outside their shuttle, surveying the town before them. It bore all the signs of being dead and abandoned. Except for the razed buildings and smoldering debris, it looked as though it might have stood desolate for years.

Inara turned to look at Mal. Something was terribly wrong and that something was only too evident. She didn't want to think about it. She couldn't. Not after what they'd just been through.

Wash and Book joined them next and stared in fascination at the town. After a minute, Wash turned to Mal.

"You think they left anything behind?" he asked, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mal looked beaten down. He hadn't counted on the town being hit by Reavers too. Somehow, he'd got it into his head that they'd hit his ship first. Maybe he just didn't want to face the possibility and had shoved it to the back of his mind. Now, however, he had to accept it.

"We'll scout the town, see if they left anything behind that we can use. Medical supplies are a priority."

Mal, Book, Inara and Wash explored the town for the next hour, eventually finding the doctor's office. There were a handful of supplies left, enough to make a beginning effort at any rate.

They carted Jayne and Zoe into the surgery while the walking wounded waited their turn or continued to scout the town.

At this point, Mal was forced to leave the exploration to the others and he sat in the waiting room with Wash. He eventually succumbed to exhaustion and pain and fell asleep. Wash stretched him out across several chairs as comfortably as he could, then went back to his pacing.

The next few hours proved more agitating than he expected, and Wash found nothing to divert his attention. He stopped occasionally to see how River was holding up. She was sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth, and staring at the door to the surgery. He knelt in front of her.

"I'm sure they'll be okay," he said. He wasn't one for comforting - didn't really have a talent for it, nor was it generally needed among this particular crew. Everyone kept pretty much to themselves and tended to get irate if anyone presumed to try bonding of any sort.

River moved her gaze from the door to Wash. "He's going to be mad."

Wash smiled. "Well, Jayne's mad a lot."

River shook her head. "No. Simon."

"Oh, uh . . . mad about what?"

She shook her head slightly. "Saved my life."

Wash frowned. He'd made the error everyone habitually made with River - he'd asked her what she meant. Well, in for a penny. . . . "I don't think Simon would be mad about saving your life."

River gave him a look that clearly implied he should keep up. "Not Simon. Jayne."

"Right."

"Can't make an excuse for it."

"Nope."

"Always losing bits of himself." She looked at him again. "He can't go back now."

Wash felt the conversation slipping away from him again. On reflection, he didn't feel like he'd ever had a good grip on it.

"Simon can't find out."

The day had really sapped whatever wits Wash had started out with, and this was really more than he wanted to deal with at the moment. He wondered how Zoe was doing. He said absentmindedly, "Well, I think he already knows."

River gave him an up-from-under look, and Wash took that to mean he was being obtuse. He probably was. He'd forgotten already who they were talking about.

Inara emerged from the surgery. The sight of so much blood covering the apron Inara wore made Wash turn pale. Was she coming with bad news?

"She's okay," she said, wearily. "Simon says she'll be fine."

Wash exhaled loudly. "Can I see her?"

"Yes. She's still unconscious and we're starting on Jayne in a minute," she said as she moved to check Mal.

Wash moved into the surgery, passing Jayne's prone form and stopping at Zoe's side. He gently touched her cheek and then brushed a strand of hair from her face. She didn't move, just kept breathing slowly and regularly.

Inara returned and moved to help Simon.

"How's Mal?" he asked.

"Unconscious, but he seems to be breathing okay. He's not bleeding anymore."

Simon nodded. "How are you?"

"Fine."

He glanced up at her. "Your hands are shaking."

"I'm just tired."

"You can take a break."

"No."

"Inara -."

"I'm okay."

Wash turned and broke up the argument. "So, when you say fine, what exactly does that mean?" he asked. "And don't coddle me, please."

Simon sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. He was tired and really not able to summon up his usual, reassuring bedside manner. "It means she's not going to die." He turned to look at Wash. "As long as we find more medical supplies, that is, and if she doesn't develop an infection or more internal bleeding. Afterward, she'll have to have quite a bit of physical therapy before she can use her leg properly."

Wash stared at him for a minute. "Thank you."

Simon nodded and turned back to Jayne.

Book and Kaylee stopped in a café for a brief rest. They seated themselves at a table and stared out the window.

"Seems like nothin' really happened here, you know?" Kaylee said. "I mean, looks like everyone just got up and went home."

Book nodded. "Yes." He'd intentionally steered them away from the mutilated bodies they'd discovered in the saloon earlier. He counted it fortunate that they'd been all in one place. It made searching the town easier. Kaylee certainly didn't need to see anything more. Book really didn't either.

"Maybe we should bring the others here," she said. "For some relaxing. It's nice here and there's food left. . . ."

"I don't know that anyone is able to walk this far yet."

She looked at the table and nodded.

Book put a hand over hers. "I'm sure they'd appreciate us bringing back a few things, though."

She looked up and gave him a small smile.

"We should probably go," he said, and bent to pick up the supplies they'd been gathering for most of the day.

Once outside, they stopped and stared up at the night sky.

"You think she's still up there?" Kaylee asked.

"Could be."

"I mean, Reavers don't need ships for nothin' except stripping 'em down for parts. She could still be drifting up there."

"It's very likely," he replied, trying to reassure her. She was attached to the Serenity almost as much as Mal.

As they watched, a glowing pinpoint of light grew brighter and larger as it seemed to near the planet.

"You think that's a falling star?" Kaylee asked, anxiously.

"I don't know," Book answered, distracted by the moving object.

"It's getting closer," Kaylee said, putting a hand on his arm.

They waited another minute to confirm their fears, then turned and ran to join the others.

_The Serenity was on fire. The smoke was rolling through the corridors, making it impossible to see anything. The ventilation system was having trouble keeping up life support and couldn't divert enough resources to handle the smoke._

_The ship shuddered every few minutes, seemingly in its death throes. Despite all this, the battle continued to rage._

_Mal, Zoe and Wash were trying to reach the cargo bay. Keeping the ship had no longer become an option and getting out with their lives was all they had left._

_They'd lost contact with Jayne and Book thirty minutes earlier. They knew Jayne was still alive as the loud and very distinct sound of Vera reached them every few minutes. He was firing sporadically now, obviously retreating as well. They couldn't help him, though, as they were outnumbered and about to be overrun._

_Zoe, one arm over Wash's shoulder, was being dragged through the corridor. Two bullets had already done enough damage to keep a normal woman down, but she refused to let go._

_"Get to the cargo bay!" Mal shouted over his shoulder. He was crouched, trying to keep below the smoke._

_"Not leaving you, sir," Zoe said._

_"That's an order, Zoe!"_

_"Yes, sir, I figured so."_

_"I ain't got time to argue."_

_"Best to stop then, sir," she said, bringing her handgun up. She could still shoot and while there was a breath in her body she was going to back up her captain._

_"Wash!" Mal said._

_"Can't do it, sir," he said. "Zoe'd probably shoot me for leaving you behind. Might as well stay and go down like a hero."_

_Mal craned his neck around to stare at Wash. His crew was acting decidedly out of character. Jayne had stayed behind to bring up the rear and had done it without arguing. Now Wash was volunteering to stay here with a wounded wife to either help in the fight or die with him. He had only a few seconds to reflect on the veracity of the notion that crisis brings out the best in people before more Reavers flooded around the corner._

_The Reavers had the advantage at the moment, as the smoke didn't bother them. They were part of the group that had crossed the outer hull of the Serenity and come in through the port airlock. Consequently, all were still geared up in their space suits and breathing their own air supply._

_Mal let loose a volley of gunfire as they continued to retreat up the corridor._

_Zoe fired past Mal, through the smoke, and heard the satisfying thump as bodies began hitting the floor._

_Wash propped Zoe against the wall and joined the gunfight._

_All three had a despondent few minutes where they believed they would die in this corridor, particularly when more Reavers than they cared to count rushed at them, regardless of personal safety._

_They took down as many as they could before they were on them. Mal and Wash fought them off, while Zoe continued to shoot down the corridor._

_Wash fell hard, his shoulders cracking against the deck, and tried desperately to fend off the Reaver on top of him. They fought for what seemed like interminable minutes, but could only have been seconds, when a gunshot startled him. The Reaver collapsed over him and Wash quickly pushed him aside._

_Zoe didn't waste time exchanging relieved looks with her husband, but whipped her gun around and fired down the corridor._

_Wash sat up and surveyed his chest. His shirt was shredded and several knife wounds were scattered across his chest, some bleeding profusely._

_He searched the floor for his weapon and as he did so, he noticed Mal had gone back to shooting. The Reavers that had gotten up-close-and-personal with them were now lying on the floor twitching and moaning._

_Wash dragged Zoe to her feet and started backing away._

_In an instant, the commotion died down and the ship became chillingly quiet. The three stared at one another, then down the corridor._

_The Reaver assault was over, at least from their end. Mal surveyed the corridor, listening intently for any noise that might mean more were on their way._

_"Mal!" Wash whispered, unwilling to raise his voice any louder. "Come on!"_

_Ahead of them, Book called out to them._

_"We're here, shepherd!" Mal said, and ran forward._

_He passed through a sea of bodies that didn't bear closer scrutiny and found Book leaning against the wall._

There w_ere Reavers at his feet, obviously having been shot in the back. Mal took in the situation and simply nodded to the preacher._

_"Where's Jayne?"_

_"Still at the airlock. He told me to head for the cargo bay. He said he'd catch up, but I don't think he can get away."_

_Before Mal could make a decision, a shrill scream echoed through the ship, followed by several gunshots. Mal grabbed Book by the arm and hauled him back to where Zoe and Wash were waiting._

_"That sounded like Kaylee. Find her and get to the shuttles. Don't wait for me."_

_"Where are you going, Captain?" Book asked._

_"To help Jayne."_

_"It may be too late," he said. "I haven't heard any shots from him in the last few minutes."_

_"I ain't leavin' anyone behind," Mal replied. A somber resolve had settled on him in the last few minutes, and nothing short of the ship exploding was going to stop him._

_"Go,"he said._

_Wash nodded, turned and dragged Zoe down the corridor. Book brought up the rear and Mal headed off in the opposite direction._

Mal hadn't expected a second attack by Reavers. It just was not something a man could bring himself to cope with twice in one day. He'd been startled awake by Kaylee shaking him hysterically, then a mad dash through the building followed. Picking up the wounded and seeking cover came next. Ten minutes of firing decimated what remained of the town and Mal could only hope they didn't mean to land and search for survivors.

The town only had one hotel and it had barely survived the first attack. Now, it was a heap of smoldering rubble. Below it, the Serenity crew huddled in the basement, hoping the silence above was a sign that things were turning their way.

Mal paced as much of the room as he could. The top few floors had come down on top of them, trapping them with studious precision, forcing Mal to wonder if Providence was really taking a go at them for some unclear reason.

After several more minutes, he realized that being trapped was probably a good thing, as the Reavers weren't likely to spend time digging out potential survivors just to torture them later. At least, he hoped they wouldn't.

He turned to examine his crew.

All wore shocked expressions, apparently holding the notion that too much was really too much. The only two not unsettled by the events of the last half hour were Jayne and Zoe. They were still unconscious and would likely remain so for some time.

"They all right, doc?" Mal asked, waving at the two injured members of his crew.

"Yes. The jostling didn't help any, but they're really not any worse than they were an hour ago."

Mal nodded and turned to study the debris above them. Dust still drifted down on them and the beams continued to creak with an inevitable foreboding that had Mal worried about their immediate survival.

"You think we can dig ourselves out?" Book asked.

"Eventually."

"Before it all comes crashing down on our heads?"

Mal turned to stare at the preacher. "Aren't you supposed to be offering words of encouragement at a time like this?"

"Well, you don't usually appreciate them, and practicality is a little more urgent just now."

Across the room, Wash sat, holding Zoe, and shaking his head. "Impossible."

Mal turned on him. "It's not impossible. Just gonna' take awhile, that's all."

"I ain't never heard of anyone digging themselves out with no tools and no help from the other side," Kaylee said.

"Well, I ain't never heard of anyone escaping from Reavers, not that was able to tell a coherent tale at any rate," Mal replied. He had to keep up morale or they were defeated before they'd even begun. "Let's see what we got," Mal said, and started a short trek around the basement.

"The river is behind us," River said.

Mal looked up. "Uh-huh."

"It's not too far."

Mal looked at her impatiently, then at Simon.

Simon said, "River, you're really not helping."

River reached a hand to the wall behind her and scraped it with her fingers. She held the dirt up for Mal to see, then let it drift from her fingers.

Simon and Mal stared at her, then the wall behind her. Mal slowly moved toward her and gently brushed her aside.

He felt the wall. It was dry, but with the river not far behind them, it would likely moisten up some the further in they went. A few hours of doing the Count of Monte Cristo routine and they might just find themselves free. Mal turned and found Wash already on his feet, looking hopeful.

"Get what tools we got," Mal said, "and let's get started."

They worked tirelessly for the next six hours, digging and hauling dirt and rock from the tunnel. The large, nearly immovable rocks didn't help any, nor did the trickling water from the nearby river. After the first hour they determined that the structure above extended much further than the actual cellar, which kept them tunneling straight ahead and not up for longer than they'd anticipated. The last hour they spent their time digging through mud and slipping and falling with a persistence that left Mal, Book and Wash exhausted.

"We're through!" Wash shouted.

Wash and Book backed out of the tunnel and stared expectantly at the group.

"What's goin' on?"

The group turned as one and stared across the room at Jayne. He was lying where they'd left him, his head in River's lap and her clutching his hand.

Mal crossed to him and knelt. "How you feelin', Jayne?"

Jayne turned his head a bit, trying to take in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Long story. You okay?"

Jayne closed his eyes momentarily and took a few breaths. When he opened them, he found most of the crew staring down at him. "I been better."

"Well, that pretty much sums up the rest of us." Mal moved aside as Simon edged up next to him. He checked Jayne's vitals, then sat back, nodding in satisfaction.

"I think you'll live, provided you don't dive into a pack of Reavers again," Simon said.

Jayne gave him a confused look, then his face clouded over as he recalled the events in the cargo bay. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Well," Mal said, hastily, "we ain't likely to see that kind of action again anytime soon."

"Thought we was dead," Jayne mumbled.

"Well, we ain't," Mal replied, "so no use thinkin' 'bout it."

Jayne frowned. "How come we ain't dead?"

"Shot me a mess of Reavers in the cargo bay. Managed to get to the shuttle."

Jayne absorbed this information in silence. Mal nodded, hopefully ending further conversation about what happened, stood and went back to Wash.

"Are you in any pain?" Simon asked.

"No."

Simon nodded, then glanced at River. She was looking pleased and relieved. She brought her hand up to Jayne's head again, but Simon grabbed her wrist.

"Um, are you hungry?" he asked Jayne, quickly. The situation was likely to get awkward any second.

Jayne ignored him. He'd just noticed where he was and who was holding his hand. He blinked at River a few times, trying to make out what she was doing.

She smiled and stroked his hair.

Jayne frowned, clearly mortified, and tried to pull his hand away.

She held on.

They engaged in a brief, silent struggle for a few seconds, a determined look on River's face and a panicked one on Jayne's, and neither gaining any ground.

Simon let out an exasperated noise and grabbed both of them by the wrist and pulled them apart.

Jayne sighed in relief. He didn't like being so close to craziness, but he didn't have the energy to get further away.

"We gotta' go," Mal said, interrupting the growing awkwardness.

Twenty minutes later they'd managed to crawl through the tunnel, dragging the wounded with them, and emerged on the back side of the town.

The trip hadn't been pleasant for Jayne, nor Zoe, who was now among the conscious, but neither had the energy to complain.

Jayne was seated and leaning against the remains of a wall, trying to catch his breath and will the stars away from his vision.

". . . you okay?"

He opened his eyes. Simon was staring at him, a very doctor-like expression of concern plastered across his face.

Jayne nodded and closed his eyes again. He thought he might pass out. With Reavers showing up again he wanted to stay conscious, but doing so was proving difficult. Despite his willingness to forget recent events, his mind refused to let it go. How does a person live a normal life after expecting to die a gruesome death. . . ?

_Shell casings and dead men littered the floor ahead of Jayne, a harsh and bitter legacy of his life. _

_For awhile he thought he might survive the assault, but the more Reavers that poured through the airlock and down the corridor, the more he realized he was fighting a battle he could never win._

_After the first six reloads, he began to see the inevitability of his actions. For every Reaver he shot, two more took its place. As terrified of Reavers as he was, the thought of them getting past him and possibly to Kaylee or Inara kept him in the corridor and emptying Vera into them with frightening swiftness._

_Dying was the only certainty Jayne knew of in life and he had always known his would be ugly and brutal. A deal gone wrong or a dark alley and a knife in the back were his only expectations up until this point. Now, however, he was struggling with the idea of dying well - a notion that had never before entered his mind._

Jayne took a few q_uick steps back, still firing, and backed into a recess in the wall. He clutched his favorite weapon in the world to his chest and took in a few gasping breaths. He had only seconds before he heard them._

_They never stopped screaming and yelling, whether for intimidation or lack of sanity, Jayne didn't know. He'd given up being terrified at the sound and was using it to his advantage. The louder they got, the closer they were._

_Jayne wiped an arm across his brow, then gripped Vera again. He'd always taken care of her like she was his woman and now she was repaying him, functioning with the type of smooth precision that made him proud._

_He took a deep breath and stepped back into the corridor, easing his gun up to his shoulder._

_Reavers were only twenty feet from him, bunched together and pushing each other along. He peered through the site, took quick, careful aim and squeezed the trigger. He stood his ground, snapping Vera back and forth in front of him with brisk, balanced precision, getting off twelve shots before backing down the corridor._

_He reached the galley, dragged the door shut behind him, and quickly crossed to the opposite door. He moved into the corridor and pulled the second door closed, and waited._

_Jayne was doing more damage to the Reavers than they were prepared for and they hadn't stopped to rethink their situation. Most people panicked and ran, leaving their companions behind to be slaughtered. Now, one man was holding them up, keeping them from their plundering and torturing by careful, accurate shooting. Each bullet was plowing through two and three of their number at a time, while their own shots were ricocheting off the walls and floor and generally doing little damage to their target._

_Brought up short by the galley door, the newest leader chose to blow it open. Not waiting for the smoke to clear, they rushed into the room, bashing into tables and chairs and eventually charging the opposite door._

_Jayne calmly switched Vera over to fully automatic and heaved the door open._

_Mal didn't have any trouble finding the front line. He and Jayne nearly ran into each other as they came around the same corner from opposite directions._

_"Damn it, Mal! I almost shot you!"_

_Mal took in a calming breath and looked Jayne over. "You okay?"_

_Jayne was breathing heavy and Mal noted his agitated appearance._

_"You ain't shot, are you?" he asked._

_Jayne glanced down at himself to be sure. He had several nicks, but nothing detrimental."Guess not." He was still feeling the anxiety of expecting to die and then not doing it. "I slowed 'em up, but they ain't far."_

_Mal nodded. "We gotta' get to the shuttle. You seen Simon or River?"_

_Jayne managed to look annoyed and worried at the same time. "They ain't with you?"_

_Mal shook his head._

_Reaver howling echoed through the ship._

_"They're coming," Jayne said._

_"We gotta' find 'em," Mal said._

_Jayne rolled his eyes. "They're probably dead."_

_"Well, I ain't leavin' 'till I'm sure."_

_Jayne didn't bother arguing. There wasn't time. "What do you wanna' do?"_

_"Can you hold 'em here while I look for them?"_

_Jayne stared at him a moment, then nodded. He hefted Vera up to his shoulder and moved to the corner. "You better get goin'."_

_Mal hesitated. "Jayne, one of us has to -."_

_"I been left behind before." Jayne shrugged, indicating he understood Mal's choice, then turned back to the corner._

_Mal was taken aback at the idea that Jayne assumed he was being left to die for the rest of the crew. Mal grabbed his arm and pulled him around. "I ain't leavin' anyone behind, Jayne," he said firmly._

_They stared at each other for several seconds, then Jayne nodded. Mal turned loose of him._

_"I'll be back as quick as I can. Don't get yourself dead in the meantime, you hear?"_

_"Didn't plan on dyin' when I got up this mornin'," Jayne replied, and returned his attention to the corridor._

Mal peered around the corner of the building. It was still on fire and exactly what it used to be would never be determined. Mal waved the smoke away and eased around the corner.

A group of Reavers was walking down the middle of the street. It was possible they weren't looking for anything more than plunder and a good time.

Mal counted them. Twelve. Not good odds. If they managed to take out twelve Reavers, their ship would likely just send down more.

A sick feeling crept into his gut and edged its way up into his throat. He glanced back at his crew. They really couldn't take anymore. Mal let out an exhausted sigh. He didn't think he could either.

"What is it?" Kaylee asked.

He didn't want to tell her.

"Capn'?"

He hesitated, then, "Reavers."

She went pale and reached for the wall.

Mal grabbed her arm. "It's okay. They haven't seen us."

"They're lookin' for us?"

"Not necessarily."

Wash spoke up, "We should, maybe, be getting the hell out of here?"

"Yep," Mal said, briskly.

Wash bent to pick up Zoe.

"I can walk," Zoe said.

"No, you really can't."

She frowned at him. "If you help me up, I can walk."

"I can carry you."

"Not while I'm walking. . . ."

Mal groaned. "We really don't have time for this."

Wash picked up his wife, despite her protests, and stood waiting.

Zoe put an arm around his neck and said, "Husband, you and me are gonna' have a little talk when we get out of this."

"Won't that be fun."

Mal and Simon leaned over Jayne. He was hunched against the wall, asleep. River was seated next to him, a tiny hand on his arm and a look on her face that clearly indicated she'd marked her territory and wasn't abandoning it without a skirmish. Simon knelt in front of them and checked Jayne's pulse.

"He okay?" Mal asked.

Simon nodded. "As well as can be expected under the circumstances."

Mal considered for a few seconds, then, "Okay, we'll drag him. Be easier that way."

Jayne moaned and opened his eyes. "I can walk. . . ." he mumbled.

Mal let out a sigh. "No, you can't."

"Can too," Jayne insisted and began struggling to rise.

Mal shook his head, but grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. Jayne sagged against the wall and closed his eyes.

Mal turned to the group. "I figure we can play hide and seek with 'em until they get tired and give up," he said.

Jayne snorted. "They ain't gonna' give up."

Mal ignored him. "All we gotta' do is stay behind 'em, hide in the buildings they've already checked."

"What if they split up?" Simon asked.

"They probably won't."

"But, they might," Wash said.

Mal let out an irritated sigh. "We don't got a lot of options."

"All they have to do is set everything on fire. . . ." Wash mumbled.

Mal looked annoyed. "Wash, you ain't helping any."

"Sorry. I think life on the edge is getting to me."

A concerned look crossed Jayne's face and he looked around. "Where's my gun?"

Mal glanced at him. "Gone," he said, briefly.

"What if they send more down to look for us?" Kaylee asked.

Mal shook his head. "I don't figure that'd be very smart of 'em."

"Well, nobody said Reavers were smart," Wash said.

"Need my gun. . . ." Jayne said, looking around.

Mal turned an exasperated look on him. "It's gone, Jayne."

"Left it somewhere. . . ."

"I'll get you another one," Mal said, trying to placate him.

Jayne slid sideways and Mal pinned him to the wall with a quick hand. River tried to support him from the other side, but was in danger of being crushed if he toppled further.

"Should we shoot or run if we see them?" Inara asked.

"Shoot," Mal said. "We can't run in the shape we're in." He turned to look at Jayne. "You think you can walk?"

Jayne peered at Mal, as though he were trying to see through a fog. "You seen my gun?"

"Jayne, you might wanna' try focusin' a little here."

Simon stepped in front of Jayne. He held up two fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"

Jayne squinted for a few seconds, then, "Where?"

Mal and Simon exchanged a glance, then pulled Jayne off the wall. They draped both his arms over their shoulders and started walking. Jayne's head drooped onto his chest as consciousness left him again.

"Shepherd, you wanna' lead the way?" Mal asked.

Book nodded and moved out.

_Empty._

_Without ammunition, Vera had become a dead weight that no one in their right mind would continue to carry under the circumstances. Jayne grimaced in anger, then dropped it to the floor. He pulled his handgun and fired down the corridor._

_A bullet plucked at his shirt sleeve, and another tore a chunk out of his upper leg, but he didn't stop moving._

_Jayne cast a quick look behind him as he approached the corner. In that brief second of distraction, a Reaver chose to dive at him._

_Jayne shot him twice in the chest._

_Before the Reaver could fall, Jayne's left hand snapped out and grabbed him by the shirt. The others were nearly on him._

_Jayne held the body in front of him like a shield and fired around him as he backed down the hall._

_Bullets ripped into the body, the impact pushing Jayne backward._

_As he reached the corner, he tripped and fell. He landed hard with the dead Reaver on top of him._

_The realization that he had only seconds left to live flashed through his mind. He wouldn't make it easy for them. He threw the body off and fired nonstop at the approaching horde._

_"Stay down!"_

_Jayne craned his neck around._

_Mal and Simon were behind him, both shooting over his head._

_"Can you reach us!" Mal shouted._

_Jayne didn't need coercing. He leapt up and sprinted down the corridor. He reached Mal and Simon, then turned and aimed his gun back the way he'd come._

_There was nothing left to shoot at. Dead Reavers were stretched out on the deck the length of the corridor._

_The excitement over, the remaining Serenity crew calmed and assessed their situation. Jayne glanced around. River was huddled about twenty feet behind them, wide-eyed and unusually quiet._

_Mal looked at Jayne. "You hurt?"_

_Jayne stared at him, his expression clearly implying he hadn't expected to see Mal again._

_Mal returned the look, knowing what was going through Jayne's mind. "I told you, Jayne, I ain't leavin' anyone here."_

_Jayne nodded, unable to comprehend this turn of events. No one had ever thought he was worth coming back for. He didn't know how to take that._

_Simon gave Jayne a quick once-over. "Are you all right?" he asked._

_Jayne cleared his throat. "Yeah."_

_Mal shook his head. "Can't rightly believe that."_

_"I ain't complainin'."_

_"They're still comin' in from the starboard airlock," Mal said, thumbing over his shoulder. "We gotta' move." He turned to Simon. "You and River keep between me and Jayne." He looked at Jayne. "You got ammo?"_

_"Not much."_

_"Take the lead. I'll bring up the rear." Mal gestured with his gun for the party to get moving. "Go."_

_One by one they ran down the corridor, the cargo bay their destination. Safety was only minutes away, but what could happen in those few minutes was something they didn't dare dwell on._

Death was stalking them.

They had nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape to.

The creeping certainty of it was proving worse than everything they'd already endured.

Two hours of running and hiding had brought everyone nearly to their limit. Nerves were strained, patience was no more, and their fear was slowly turning to despair as the knowledge of imminent death settled over them.

Mal studied each of his crew. He'd only ever seen faces like theirs once before - at the Battle of Serenity. His entire unit had been slaughtered and the worst part was, they'd all known they were going to die. He'd sworn never again to lead good men into a situation they couldn't walk away from.

But, he had. Both battles were replaying themselves over and over in his mind and the chagrin of the whole thing was he couldn't think of a thing he could've done differently.

Mal let out the breath he'd been holding and glanced at the sky, once more looking for any sign of his ship.

Serenity was everything to him; his very purpose for being. She was the one constant in his life. She gave him independence and security and the promise that one day life would be better. Now that hope was gone, brutally stripped away, leaving him with an ache in his chest that he knew would never go away.

Mal felt the tears pool in his eyes and he hung his head. Why was he trying so desperately to survive? His reason for living was irretrievably gone, taken from him like so many things in his life.

He glanced up to find his crew staring at him, a mixture of fear and regret on their faces. They shared a moment of understanding, knowing this was the end. As he stared at them, Mal realized his crew meant just as much to him as his ship. Without them, Serenity was an empty shell. Bereft of that which made her alive, she would drift through the universe, alone and aimless, a melancholy reflection of the man who held her so dear.

His mind turned once again to the savages who were hunting them. Over the last day his fear of them had turned to hate. They were only men, he realized, men who had allowed their humanity to slip away and chose instead to embrace madness.

They had no right to take his life from him.

He looked at his crew again. They deserved better than this.

Mal looked at the sky again and a calmness settled over him. The fear and anxiety on his face melted away, quickly replaced by grim determination.

Serenity was up there, waiting for him, and he was going to get her back.

The End


End file.
